Saturday, March 5, 2011

Baltimore Activist Alert

Baltimore Activist Alert Mar. 6 – Mar. 12, 2011

 

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours.

The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center.  Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com.  If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218.  Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

 

The Baltimore IndyMedia Center publicizes peace-related events. Go to http://www.radicalendar.org/group/_baltimore.

  

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLA  

5] Used stamps for humanitarian causes

6] Bring the World Home continues        

7] Grassroots Advocacy Training –- Mar. 6

8] Reverence & Ethical Culture – Mar. 6

9] Get on the bridge for peace – Mar. 6

10] African Film Festival – Mar. 6

11] Militarization of the U.S. -- Mar. 6

12] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Mar. 6

13] Conflict Resolution Center benefit -- Mar. 6

14] Energy Revolution -- Mar. 6

15] Community Supported Agriculture - Mar. 6

16] Protest at the Pentagon – Mar. 7

17] Progressive Working Group Summit – Mar. 7

18] Pledge at Summit – Mar. 7

19] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Mar. 7 – Mar. 10

20] Protest the death penalty – Mar. 7        

21] Film COINTELPRO 101 – Mar. 7

22] SIMPLE, NOT EASY -– Mar. 7

23] Community Garden workshop – Mar. 7

24] Palestinian nonviolence – Mar. 7

25] Labor author at Red Emma's – Mar. 7

26] Defend the Dream meeting – Mar. 7

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  "God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions" stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him at 410-366-1637.

 

2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/.  Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.


3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR].  It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed.  It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq.

 

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to donmuller@msn.com.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

 

THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe.  It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing.  To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed.  If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.

 

4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale.  For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html.

 

Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. Make the check out to HoCoFoLA and send it with your order form to Nancy Meier, 10 Pepperdine Circle, Catonsville, MD 21228.  Contact Pat McLaine at 410-964-0960 or pamcl@aol.com.  The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up.

 

5] – Brad Hathaway spearheads an effort to sell donated used stamps to raise money for different humanitarian causes around the world. Go to www.mattapoisettquakers.org, and click the link for the stamp ministry.  Carefully clip canceled postage stamps and send to Quaker Missions, PO Box 795, Mattapoisett, MA 02739. Send no small flag stamps or Liberty Bell Forever stamps.

 

6] – Catch the "Bringing the World Home" exhibit in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps!  The exhibit is in the UMBC Library Rotunda through the end of the semester and consists of 5 display cases featuring photos and artifacts from UMBC's faculty, staff and students who have served in the Peace Corps, including many current and alumni Shriver Peaceworker Fellows.  The center case features pieces from the Peace Corps founding era (a tribute to Sarge Shriver!) and the surrounding case highlight experiences from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the AmericasIf you are coming from off campus, give Joby Taylor a call at (410) 455-6398, and he will give you a tour.

 

7] – On Sun., Mar. 6 starting at  9:30 AM through Mon., Mar. 7 at 5:30 PM, join Interfaith Peace-Builders, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and other national groups for the 3rd Annual Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.  The event will provide seasoned organizers and new activists with the skills and experience needed to make a real impact. Gain access to resources on US aid to Israel and learn from experts in the field.  On Sunday, be at the Cesar Chavez School for Public Policy, 709 12th St. SE, WDC 20003, starting with registration at 9 AM.  Lunch is at 12:15 PM.  The social event and fundraiser is from 5:30 to 8 PM. 

 

 On Sun., Mar. 6 from 5:30 to 8 PM at Mi Vecindad Restaurant, 1129 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, WDC. Join Interfaith Peace-Builders and Daoud Nassar to celebrate the 3rd annual Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Day! There is free entrance for Grassroots Advocacy Training registrants, while non-registrants are suggested to make a donation from $10 to $50.  The special guest is Daoud Nassar, a Palestinian farmer living and working in the fertile hill country south of Bethlehem. Under his leadership, the family has taken the case to establish the family's land rights to the Israeli Supreme Court and established The Tent of Nations providing arts, drama, and education to the children of the villages and refugee camps of the region. Registrations for the Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Day can be made at www.ifpb.org/grassroots.

On Monday, activists will gather on Capitol Hill after first meeting at the Methodist Building Meeting Room, 100 Maryland Ave. NE (Capitol Hill), WDC 20002. Between 9 AM and 5 PM, the Meeting Room at the Methodist Building will be available for registrants to use for meeting, resting, and storing bags.  Go to http://www.interfaithpeacebuilders.org/education/grassroots/default.html.

8] – On Sun., Mar. 6 at 10:30 AM, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201, is hosting a discussion "Reverence and Ethical Culture," delivered by BES Leader Hugh Taft-Morales. What is reverence, and how can it contribute to living a more ethical life? A common definition of reverence is "a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe." For many people, reverence plays an important role in their religious faith. Felix Adler, the founder of Ethical Culture, applied reverence to how we should manage our relationships with others. Hugh Taft-Morales explores both Adler's "three-fold reverence" as well as how reverence can enrich ethical living.  Call 410-581-2322 or visit www.baltimoreethicalsociety.org.

 

9] – Maryland Bridges for Peace welcomes you to stand for peace Sundays from noon (or thereabouts) to 1 PM on the Spa Creek Bridge in Annapolis.  Contact Lucy at 410-263-7271 or mdbridgesforpeace@toadmail.com. Signs are not allowed to be on a stick or pole.   If there is interest, people will be standing on the Stoney Creek Bridge on Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena [410-437-5379 or magicalgodmom@aol.com]. Go to http://BridgePeace.blogspot.com/.

 

10] – The Baltimore Museum of Art is hosting the African Film Festival on Sat., Mar 5 from 1 to 5:30 PM and Sun., Mar. 6 from 1 to 5:30 PM on Art Museum Drive.  Call 443-573-1700 or go to www.artbma.org.  Adults pay $10, and students $5.

 

11] – On Sun., Mar. 6 at 2:30 PM at the New Deal Café in Greenbelt at the Roosevelt Center, 113 Centerway, a question will be asked: Does swelling the military budget makes us any safer?   Can other uses of our taxes better protect our communities and our nation's future?   Explore these questions, and ways Maryland citizens are working together to answer them, at an open house.  Prince George's County Peace & Justice Coalition will host this free event and provide refreshments and networking opportunities.  At 3 PM Jean Athey, coordinator of Montgomery Peace Action, will begin a presentation in two parts: a slide show "The Militarization of America: At What Cost?" produced by Montgomery Peace Action that graphically portrays and critiques the big military-industrial slice of the federal budget pie; and a description of Fund Our Communities, Bring the War Dollars Home-- a Maryland campaign to channel citizen support for putting excessive military dollars to many better uses.  Launched last year as part of a national movement, it now involves over thirty statewide and community groups and welcomes others.

For directions to the New Deal Café go to www.newdealcafe.com.  Go to www.ourfunds.org.  Contact Lucy Duff at justpeacepg@earthlink.net or 301-577-2350.

 

12] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Mar. 6

 

12] – Every Sunday, 4 to 5 PM, there is a Quaker Peace Vigil at Independence Mall, N. side of Market between 5th and 6th Sts., Philadelphia. Call 215-421-5811.

 

13] – Be at the fundraiser on Sun., Mar. 6 at 5 PM for the Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center at Michael's 8th Avenue, 7220 Grayburn Drive.  The cost, which includes food and drink and music, is $55.  Call 410-768-7901.  Go to www.michaels8thavenue.com.

14] – Spend an evening with author Kolya Abramsky on Sun., Mar. 6 from 7 to 9 PM downstairs at St. Stephen's Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC. He will map out a global class struggle for energy autonomy, independence, and a better world, against the fossil fools of the capitalist energy economy. A donation of $5 is requested, and co-sponsored by AK Press and others.  There are no easy answers in this battle for control of the world's energy system, but his book Sparking A Worldwide Energy Revolution will spark a discussion. 

15] – Hear from Joan Norman of One Straw Farm about the Community Supported Agriculture movement at 7 PM on Sun., mar. 7 at Church of the Messiah, 5801 Harford Rd.  Learn where vegetables come from.  Call 410-426-0709.

16] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop.  The next vigil is Mon., Mar. 7, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Call 202-882-9649.

 

17] – The Progressive Summit and Lobby Night takes place on Mon., Mar. 7 from 4:30 to 8 PM and will be hosted by House Ways and Means Chairwoman Sheila Hixson and convened by Sen. Jamin Raskin and other legislators.  It will take place in the House Ways and Means Committee Hearing Room 131, House Office Bldg., 6 Bladen St. off College Ave., Annapolis, MD.  The Summit will provide organizations and legislators an opportunity to unite support for specific bills, and build progressive momentum in Maryland.  To join the PWG, email membership@mdpwg.org. Include your name, organization, contact info. and legislative priorities.

 

 It will begin with a 4:30 PM Fund Our Communities news conference, and will eventually include an evening of lobbying.  There will be several issues of concern: The Health Security Act, Campaign Finance Reform, Corporate Tax Combined Reporting, Offshore Wind Farm and more. 

 

18] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings now take place at Max's residence.  The next meeting is scheduled for Mar. 14.  On Mar. 7, Pledge members will be in Annapolis to participate in the Progressive Working Group Summit.  The summit will begin at 4:30 PM with a press conference calling for a major cut in military spending with the savings going to cities and states.  Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for a ride.  

 

19] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Thursday from 5 to 7 PM on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org.   The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by email to steinershow@gmail.com. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org 

 

20] – There is usually a vigil to abolish the death penalty every Monday from 5 to 6 PM, outside the prison complex and across the street from Maryland's Super Max Prison, at the corner of Madison Ave. and Fallsway in Baltimore.  Recently death row was moved out of Baltimore, but it was decided to continue the vigil. The next one is scheduled for Mon., Mar. 7. Call 410-366-1637.

 

21] – Come to a free screening about the history that history forgot: COINTELPRO 101 will have a series of DC Metro Area showings through Tues., Mar. 29.  COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations. The tactics used included discrediting targets through psychological warfare, planting false reports in the media, smearing through forged letters, harassment, wrongful imprisonment, extralegal violence and assassination. On Mon., Mar. 7 at 6 PM, see the film at Univ. of the District of Columbia, 4.0 Lounge, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW,

WDC.  Call 202-787-5229 or visit http://www.FreedomArchives.org/Cointelpro.html.

22] – Author Terrence Roberts discusses his book Simple, Not Easy: Reflections on Community Social Responsibility and Tolerance at Busboys and Poets, 14th & V Sts., NW, WDC on Mon., Mar. 7 at 6:30 PM. In his new collection of essays and speeches, psychologist and civil rights activist Roberts provides cultural perspective propelled by hope, strength, loss, and redemption.

23] – On Mon., Mar. 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Parks & People Foundation, 800 Wyman Park Drive, Suite 010, join Baltimore Green Space and the Community Greening Resource Network at a special spring workshop. This workshop will cover the three essential steps to start a community garden: getting permission to use the land (and how to work toward securing it permanently); joining forces with neighbors to come up with a plan, and finding the resources to make your dream a reality. RSVP to katie.dix@parksandpeople.org, or call 410-448-5663 ext 128.

 

24] – Join a presentation by Daoud Nassar, a Palestinian Christian farmer whose family works its 100-acre farm & orchard just outside the town of Bethlehem.  It is on his farm that the family members strive to maintain a haven of peace & brother/sisterhood through activities at Tent of Nations (TON), a dynamic peace & local education center established by the Nassar family in 2000.  International visitors, including many Israelis, join together to plant trees, harvest olives & fruit, teach at the Women's Education Center, lead activities in Youth Summer Camps, & come together in solidarity & shared goals in the pursuit of a just peace through nonviolent activities.  Daoud will speak on Mon., Mar. 7 at 7:30 PM at Mission Helper Center, 1001 W. Joppa Rd. [at corner of Joppa & Chestnut - entrance & parking on Chestnut].  A free-will donation will be gratefully accepted for the Tent of Nations.  Go to www.fotonna.org.

 

25] – On Mon., Mar. 7 at 7 PM @ Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul St., Steve Early presents THE CIVIL WARS IN U.S. LABOR. The book examines the recent schisms and struggles in the U.S. union movement. Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

 

26] – A Defend the Dream Campaign Meeting will take place on Mon., Mar 7 at 7 PM at the Church of the Incarnation in Baltimore City.  It is hosted by MoveOn.  The movement to rebuild the American Dream is just getting started. With the ongoing struggle in Wisconsin and the federal budget fight heating up, plans will be made for the next big mobilization.

 

To be continued.


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